What does it mean to exist in complex relationships with machines? What insights can be offered to our understandings of these relationships by the theologically significant theme of ‘love’? What critical assessments can be made of our multiple uses of technologies in shaping our futures, by reflecting on our pasts?

Disquiet over the prevalence of social and economic individualism has a long history. In a world of mobile Capital and increasingly mobile people, communities of common tradition and locality appear to be under threat from the advent of a fragmented market society. Are these complaints against individualism justified? And crucially, how should Christians respond to them? Digging down into the substance of these questions, this project will consider the theological, liturgical and scriptural resources Christians have for understanding the notion of individualism in relation to issues of education, public life and the formation of democratic citizenship.

Professor Ward and Professor KüngThe World Sinology Conference opened on October 30th at the University of Renmen in Beijing China. As the Renman University website notes: "Over 180 domestic and overseas scholars gathered in RUC and discussed on the theme of 'Sinology and Cross-Cultural Communication.'" During the conference, Li Xueqin, a historian from China's Tsinghua University, introduced the origin of Sinology:

Sinology is a result of cross-cultural communications, and the study of it will further promote that communication. It came into being in the 16th and 17th century when Chinese culture and Western culture met each other. People from both sides were keen on learning about each other. Sinology was developed in Western countries on the subjects of Chinese history, culture, language, etc. Meanwhile, Western learning, a late Qing Dynasty term for Western natural and social sciences, was developed in China.

The conference was "aimed at promoting exchanges and cooperation in the international study of Sinology and highlighting the value of Chinese culture in building a harmonious world." Among the scholars present were Professor Graham Ward from the University of Manchester and Professor Hans Küng from the University of Tübingen (pictured above). Professor Ward gave a paper on "Christianity and the State," which explored the role played by the State in the coming of Christianity to China in the 6th century through the Nestorians who were being persecuted in Persia at the time.